Furnace arch and refractory block therefor



Aug- 16, 19384 1 s. I ONGENECKER 2,126,901

FURNACE ARCH AND REFRACTORY BLOCK THEREFOR Aug. 16, 1938. s. LoNGENEcKi-:R j

vFURNCE ARCH AND REFRACTORY BLOCK `THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Shadi: 2

Filed July 16, 1936 m T mL nl l 5. l U/ N O7/ /5 l U @y S. A l b Af( Y, M

Patented Aug. 16, 193s ILJNITEDv STATES PATENT OFFICE FURNACE ARCH AND REFRACTORY BLOCK THEREFOR- Levi S. Longenecker, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application July 16, 1936, Serial No. 90,927 2 claims. (ci. 11d-99) proof, i. e., the escape of hot gases or flame leakage through these joints is prevented.

.In my Patents N. 1,874,321 granted Aug. 13, 1932 and 1,913,168 granted June 6, 1933, I have shown these tiles or blocks modified for use with hangers whereby suspended walls or arches may be built up. The blocks are individually suspended in groups or bundles from a main or maslter hanger which is attached to a beam, there being rows or collateral courses of bundles on each side of the beam. 'I'he rst block or .tile in each bundle has one smooth face while the opposite face has either a tongue or groove therein, the smooth faces of the first blocks of opposed bundles being in abutment. Likewise. the outer faces of the outermost blocks oi adjoining bundles are smooth.

In the case of the first an'd subsequent blocks of each bundle there was but a single interlock and there was no positive seal at the joint between the end blocks of adjoining bundles. This invention has to do with and it is an object thereof to provide improvements in the interlock between blocksand to provide 'a' positive seal at the joint between the outermost blocks of. adjoining or contiguous bundles.

Y Another objectof this invention is to provide an improved form of block whereby the portions of hangers engaging the blocks will be located at a greater distance from the body of the blocks so that they will `not be subjected to such high temperatures.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved block'that will allow a roof or arch to be insulated more eilectively than roofs made of blocks of the prior art.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be apparent and will, in part, be obvious from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a furnace arch showing in side elevation, a course of suspended refractory tiles or blocks embodying a form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing in end elevation collateral courses of blocks; the view being at right angles to the view in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 2, with the support beam omitted;

Fig. 4 is a, fragmentary sectional view of a block taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 3, showing the mannerof attaching ahanger thereto;

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the double interlocking grooved face of a block (Fig. 2 showing the doubleinterlocking tongued face); and

Fig. 6 is a view in section of a block taken on` line VI-VI 0f Fig. 4.

Throughout the drawings and the specification, like reference characters indicate like parts. In Fig. 1, a fragment or portion of a suspended furnace arch is illustrated. The arch or roof comprises a plurality of right and left-hand groups or bundles A and B of refractory blocks, suspended as a group by main hangers l and 2 respectively from support beams 3. The bundles A and B are disposed in line in a direction at right angles to beams 3 and for convenience such bundles will be referred to as contiguous bundles or groups. A complete arch involves a plurality of parallel rows of contiguous bundles, and for convenience these rows will be referred -to as collateral courses C, D, E, etc., of contiguous bundles.

As illustrated, each tile or block of a bundle is individually suspended by means of a hanger ft from the hanger of an adjacent block on the side nearest the main hanger, i. e., the first tile of a'. bundle is suspended by its main hanger from a beam 3, the second tile is suspended by its hanger 4' from the main hanger, the third tile is sus pended by its hanger 4 from the hanger of th second tile, etc. l

Main hangers i and 2 are `identical in construction and each comprises a C-shaped hook 5 that engags and rests on` top of one side of the bottom flange ofbeam 3 and an arm 6 that extends irom the bottom of hook 5 under and to the other side of the beam, the arm terminating in a lug 'l that bears against the side of the flange of the beam and a lug 8 that bears against the bottom of the beam. Arm 6 also has alug il against which hammer blows may be struck as an aid either inY securing or vremoving the `hanger from the beam. Hangers i and 2 also have a cated in the central portion of one of the broad faces of the first tile of a bundtleand the other leg Ill is disposed in a groove I3 in the opposite face. As may be seen from the various figures of the drawings the distance F measured to the inner faces of legs I and is less than the thickness of the blocks. In order that the hangers may be attached to the tiles or blocks, the back wall of the vertical portion I2 of groove |2 is inclined towards the central vertical axis ofthe block. This allows the attachment of the hanger to be made as indicated in Fig. 4. lThe hanger is positioned rst in an inclined position as indicated in broken lines, whereby the horizontal bar of the hanger leg II is disposed at the entrance of the horizontal portion I4 of groove I2, and secondly, in a vertical position as indicated in full lines whereby the hanger is attached to and can then be used as a handle for carrying the tile about and putting it in place in a bundle. Each main hanger also has a lug I5 to which a hook IB of a hanger 4 is attached. Since hangers 4 are similar in all respects to the main hangers except for the upper portion thereof, parts of hangers 4 corresponding to similar parts of main `hangers I and 2 will be designated by the same reference characters.

and B may be characterized as follows, the abutting faces of the first tiles |11, in bundles A and B are plain or smooth, while the opposite face of each block has a tongue I8, preferably of triangular shape, projecting therefrom, each of the tiles'I'Iz, Ila, |14 and |15 of each bundle has a tongue I8 on one face and triangularly shaped groove I8 on the opposite face, the tongue of one tile registering with the groove in the abutting face of an adjacent tile; and the abutting faces of the end tiles and 2| of bundles A and B are plain and smooth. However, tile 20 has on its smooth face a recessed shoulder 23 and tile 22 has an overhanging shoulder or lug 24 that fits into the recessed shoulder 23 to, form a lap joint between the abutting faces.

To further increase the interlocking effect afforded by the tongues I8 and grooves I9, the tongues and grooves of all the tiles in bundles A and B except the end tiles |11, 20 and 2| are corrugated preferably at the two opposite sides of said tongues and grooves. As to grooves I9, the. corrugations are formed by spaced lugs 26 and 2l that project toward the center of the grooves and preferably at right angles to the sides of the grooves from which they project. On the I tongued faces of the tile these corrugations are `in the form of recesses or grooves 28/ and 29 of the same general shape and size and occupying the\same relative positions as the lugs 26 and 21. Thus when two tiles are placed face to face, the tongue of one tile will nest in the groove of the other tile, and the lugs 26 and 21 will lie in the grooves 23 and 29.

The double interlocking which the tongues and grooves and corrugations afford, increases the tightness of the arch, i. e., the joints between tile faces are more effective in the prevention of gas and flame leakage and in holding broken fragments of tile in the arch. For instance, if either tile I'I should break at a point above the corrugation lugs 26 and 21, neither tile would fall from the roof and the only portion of such tile` that might fall would be the portion below the corrugations. Thusprotection is afforded to the first block or tile of each bundle even though' leg o f either hanger I or 2 should burn off'or break. l

The last or end tiles 2Ilor 2| of a bundle are not provided with corrugations as these, in case the proof or arch needs repairs, are the ones which must be removed first, and corrugations would not permit removal` Since faces 30 of the end tiles of bundles A and B are formed with a groove I9, any portion of these blocks below a point of. fracture will be supported by the tongues of the next adjacentblocks. V

The interlocking action of the tongues I8 and grooves I9, without the corrugations, is depicted in the drawings of my Patent No. 1,590,303.

In additionto the double interlocking feature of the blocks and the lap joint features at the end blocks of the bundles A and B, each block or tile embodies an improvement in the nature of a neck 32 formed as an extension of the body of the blocks and to which the hangers I, 2 and 4 may be attached. These necks 32 have thev same thickness as the body of the blocks but are much narrower. 'The grooves I2 and I3 into which the hangers are fitted are formed in the I necks so that the portions I0 and II of the hangers which, in effect, are embedded in the refractory blocks, are removed a substantial distance from the hottest parts of the blocks.

When these blocks are suspended in collateral courses, troughs 33 are formed between the necks into which blocks or slabs 34 of insulation may' be laid and covered with plastic insulation 35. 'I'he 'addition of this insulation which covers a greater area than the total top surface area of the necks 32 greatly improvesthe heat insulating qualities of the arch and materially reduces the heat loss through the arch.

After the arch is completed the grooves I2 and.

I3 are filled up with cement so that the top surface of the arch is then smooth and free of crevices. Thus any dust accumulation will be confined to the top arch surfaces from which it may be easily removed by sweeping or blowing.

'I'he insulation slabs being in effect down in the body of the tile or brick and flush with the top surface thereof, the heat retentlonvqualities of the arch lis improved materially in that the temperature of the exposed surface of the arch is materially reduced.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent isz'- A 1. A suspended arch for metallurgical furnaces comprising a series of supporting beams, rows of substantially rectangular refractory blocks adaptedA to be suspended from said beams, means for suspending said blocks from said beams arranged to form a plurality of separate bundles in each row, each of which includes a plurality of blocks, there being two bundles suspended from each said beam in abutting relation and extending in opposite directions from the center thereof, each of said bundles including an abutting front block having a smooth front face, and means for retaining the front block of each bundle in position in said arch although broken as to prevent the tongue from being disengaged from said groove except on lateral movement of the front block.

2. A suspended arch for metallurgical furnaces comprising a series of overhead supporting beams, rows of substantially rectangular refractory blocks adapted to be suspended from said beams, means for suspending the blocks in each row from said beams and arranged to form a plurality of separate bundles each of which includes a plurality of blocks, there being two such bundles suspended from each beam in abutting end to end relation and extending in opposite directions from the center thereof, each of said bundles including an abutting 'front block having a smooth iront face, and means for retaining 10 the front block of each bundle in position in s aid arch although broken away from vits suspended means including a generally triangular shaped tongue having its apex uppermost on the rear i'acepf said front block adapted to intert into a. triangularly shaped groove in the face of the next succeeding block o! lthe bundle, and having recesses in the sides thereof for receiving corrugations on the sides of the groove on the next succeeding block.

LEVI S. LONG. 

